Luke 10:41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
Hebrews 4:9-10 There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.
One of my heroes of the faith, Watchman Nee, once said something profound about entering the rest of God. He said, “Carnal Christians crave works; yet amid many labors, they are unable to maintain calm in their spirit. They cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly as can the spiritual believers… their hearts are governed by outward matters. Being “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40) is the characteristic of the work of any soulish believer. They have not yet entered the rest of God.”
Now that Martha is in Heaven (for some 2000 years) I have often wondered how she feels about being an example of distraction and carnality, and to what extent it’s possible to move away from that kind of activity into a place of rest and peace and relationship as we serve the Lord.
The Sabbath is certainly an opportunity to discover and practice the kind of rest and abiding in Yeshua that Watchman recommends here. All of us have experienced “spiritual” activity which is distracted, performance based, and undoubtedly less fruitful and effectual than it could be. But must it always be so? The Lord would not have rebuked Martha if He didn’t hope and expect her to learn from His admonition.
There’s no question that we can learn a more mature way of serving. Mary has shown us the way, and Shabbat is the perfect opportunity to learn it. Sit at His feet, quietly, attentively, and learn of Him. Entering deeply into His rest will change the way you work, all the following week. And by resting well, we improve the quality of our work and even multiply our time. We give, He adds. We divide, He multiplies. We rest, and because of our abiding, He works. Shabbat Shalom!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]In a documentary mini series called “Against All Odds” a remarkable story is told about an Israeli platoon who found themselves in the midst of a minefield along the Syrian border during the Yom Kippur War. When the platoon realized they were in a minefield they pulled out their bayonets and started to dig out mines and to disarm them…
This past weekend saw an unprecedented assault on Israel by Iran; 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles were launched in successive waves from the eastern enemy nation devoted to the destruction of the Jewish homeland. More than 99% of these objects were intercepted by Israel and her allies. Israel’s military is extraordinarily capable and her allies’ support significant, yet I believe there is a bit more to the story.
As soon as we were translated into the Kingdom of Light, we entered a spiritual war — and we must realize the warfare we face on a day-to-day basis. Constantly contending in our minds, we battle over thoughts and emotions which flow through them. The enemy often attacks by bringing up issues from our past.
In his book, A Spiritual Clinic, J. Oswald Sanders wrote about the lasting family legacies of two families from New York.
Yesterday marked the 1st day of Nissan, the beginning of the year on the Hebrew calendar. Nissan is known as the “month of miracles”, derived from the Hebrew word, “nissim”, which means “miracles”. Israel finally and miraculously left Egypt in the month of Nissan after hundreds of years of slavery. God orchestrated their escape, “nus” in Hebrew, (which some say is connected to Nissan), displaying His power over the Egyptian gods and His sovereignty over every pantheon. Nissan may also be related to the Hebrew word “nitzan”, which means “to bud” or “to start fresh and anew”, reflecting the seasonal advent of new life and new beginnings…springtime.
This is a powerful passage which believers must claim! The Greek for the word “heaven”, “oo-ran-os”, implies not only heaven, but also eternity. The enemy was removed from the eternal places, and his power is only temporary in this world. Our power does not come from this temporary world, but from eternity, from the eternal throne of God.
Over the last week, tensions have escalated significantly following the assassination of an Iranian General and several terrorist leaders within the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus. This week also coincides with the conclusion of Ramadan, during which there have been heightened calls from terrorist groups for attacks against Jewish and Christian communities. The war drums are beating … and the question is — how should we as believers respond?